Why I Built an Empire to Kill Venture Capital

By Tom Fairhall

My grandmother ran a corner shop for 40 years. She knew every customer by name. When someone was struggling, she'd let them run a tab. When the local football team needed kit, she sponsored them.

She never had an "exit strategy." She had a community.

Then Tesco came.

The VC Playbook

Here's how Venture Capital works:

Find a boring industry that people depend on (vets, care homes, logistics)
Inject cash to grow fast
Cut costs (usually staff)
Raise prices
Sell to the next fund for 3x
Repeat until the service is unrecognizable

I watched this happen to:

Veterinary clinics. Your local vet is probably owned by CVS Group or IVC Evidensia now. That's why your dog's pills cost £10 when the generic is 50p.
Care homes. Private equity owns 20% of UK care homes. 16,000 avoidable deaths during COVID. Record profits.
Pubs. Pubcos own the buildings, lock landlords into beer ties, then act surprised when another 500 close.

They call it "efficiency." I call it extraction.

The Alternative Nobody's Building

What if we built companies that weren't designed to be sold?

What if equity wasn't a chip on a poker table, but a share of something you helped build?

What if the goal wasn't "exit" but "existence"?

That's what I'm building.

15 projects. Zero VC. 100% owner-operated.

I don't want your money. I want your hustle.

If you can sell, operate, or grow one of these businesses, you can own part of it. No salary negotiation. No job application. Just results.

The Offer

I've built the tech. I've built the frameworks. I've built the products.

I need people who can take them to market.

You bring customers. You get equity. We split the upside.

No salary. No fees. No bullshit.

If that sounds insane, good. It's not for everyone.

But if you've ever wondered what it would feel like to own something you helped build — not just work for someone else's vision — apply here.

"We're not building an app. We're building belonging."